Teach a man to fish....
If your physically capable, I suggest you learn how to fish. If not, that's why we pay others.
Ball joints only seem to be intimidating if you haven't done them before. Learning how to do it by using this forum, and having members help you along the way to accomplish your project does not only save you money today, it empowers you to save in the future. Knowledge has no price tag.
With that said.... Aftermarket UCA's W/bj's can be had for 50%-75% cheaper than what they offered, with manufacturers warranty included. Good LBJ's can be had for less than $50/ea. Cheap ones for less than $20/ea. Then the alignment costs. All in all, you could do all 4 BJ's for less than what they want for 1 Upper arm.
Doing this job yourself, will not only save you money, you will learn how the front suspension works and how to replace everything in the future if any other issues arrive. Hard lesson to learn (at first) but a valuable lesson none the less.
If you can't because of lack of tools, Shop Craig's List or garage sales. You can buy a lot of tools for the price their asking to do the work for you.
If you can't do it because of not having a place to do the work, Ask a friend or a family member to borrow the driveway for a day or two. You might get lucky and have them help you do the work.
If you can't do it because of fear/knowledge, that's when this forum can help. I didn't know anything about these trucks before I joined. I can say that because of this forum, I can pretty much strip the truck to the frame and put it back together.
To check the ball joints yourself....
Jack up the front end and use the hook on the lower control arm to place a jackstand if you have one. You only need to lift the tire off the surface enough (1"-2") to place a good solid bar/lever (like a crowbar) under the tire from the front, and lift/lower the tire repeatedly, looking for movement on the joints themselves. If the control arms moves with no slop in the ball joints, they are good. If you notice ANY movement in the ball joints before the arms move, they are bad, and need replaced. This is easier with two people, but can be done alone.
If you would like to save a bunch of money, learn how to be more independent, and one day help others, make an attempt to do the repair yourself. This job is not a hard one to do. This is one job that mechanic shops take advantage of people, and I can't stand to see that happen to good people that just don't know they are being taken. You have shown some common sense to not pay that amount, and come here asking. I would like to think, you can take it one step further, and take some advice to attempt this yourself.
